PANO - Vietnam's Grandmaster Le Quang Liem won the trophy and USD 12,000 in cash from the HDBank Cup International Open Chess Championship, which ended on March 22nd in Ho Chi Minh City.

Liem became the champion after earning 7.5 points in nine games, followed by Zhang Zhong (Singapore), Li Chao (China) and another chessmaster of the host, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son.

Grandmaster Le Quang Liem beating Chessmaster Padmini Rout (India) in the final round

In women's event, Vietnam's Le Kieu Thien Kim won 6 points and pocketed the title.

Co-organized by the Vietnam Chess Federation (VCF) and HCM City Chess Association, and sponsored by the Vietnam HDBank for five years now, the HDBank Cup is the biggest international chess tournament held in Vietnam.

This year's event drew 80 chessmasters from 13 countries and regions, including 43 from the host.

Translated by Pham Huy